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San Antonio to Alpine

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This route passes through: Leakey, Del Rio, Alpine

Tagged with: Scenic, Twisty

Length: 633.09km / 395.68mi

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Builders Custom Motorcycles Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs Videos

Norton Motorcycles. A Solid Come Back Story?

In 2008, entrepreneur Start Garner bought legendary British motorcycle manufacturer Norton. Buying norton took only 4 days from decision to deal completion. Garner got all the bike parts, 4 prototype bikes and all intellectual property rights. Reportly for a price in the…

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Custom Motorcycles Customs Other Motorcycle Blogs Wheels

The METZELER Heritage Range

METZELER confirms its heritage by adding vintage and classic tires along with the new SPORTEC™ Klassik to its North American product range, blending a timeless look and modern performance. METZELER, on the road since 1892, re-introduces key tire lines for owners of classic…

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BikeExif Custom Motorcycles Diamond Atelier Other Motorcycle Blogs Suzuki DR650 Suzuki motorcycles

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
Since the scrambler is the style du jour, street bikes are being reconfigured as dirt-bikes on a daily basis. So it’s a rare treat to see a builder going in the opposite direction.

Suzuki’s DR650 is true to the original scrambler spirit: it’s tall, robust and utilitarian. But to the boys at Munich-based Diamond Atelier, it’s a thumper begging to be urbanized.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
This 1992 model was the daily runner of Diamond Atelier co-founder Tom Konecny. But the workshop had already finished two BMWs and felt like a change, so onto the bench went the Suzuki.

“The Suzuki DR650 is the complete opposite of a two-valve BMW,” explains Tom. “It’s a single slammer, full-on dirt bike, with tons of plastic bodywork and close to no character. But the engine has great potential.”

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier

“So we decided to transform it into a full-blown Diamond Atelier bike, with our signature urban style. The goal was to build a super-sleek and agile racer, to flow perfectly through city traffic.”

The lanky posture of the DR650 was a far cry from what the guys had in mind—so the project started with a complete tear down. Then a set of rare 17-inch race rims were laced to the stock hubs, to help get the stance just right.

“The rims actually came from two complete sets of wheels, which we were looking for for over half a year,” says Tom.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
Next up was suspension. A new set of shorter-than-stock 41mm forks were built up with new internals, while the rear was treated to a modern sportbike shock. Performance tires were a logical choice, so a pair of Metzeler Racetec RRs was fitted.

With the bike mocked up, it was clear that the frame needed more than just a cut-n-loop. Instead, it was modified extensively to massage the old scrambler’s lines into shape. The subframe is all new too—with a sleek taper that ends with a discreet LED tail light.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
The bodywork’s a mix of second hand and made-from-scratch bits. The tank’s a 70s Honda unit, tweaked to fit—but the headlight shroud and tailpiece are new, shaped from 1mm sheet metal. Up top is a minimal cowhide seat.

Keeping the bike as uncluttered as possible was high on the agenda. With no battery to contend with (this DR is kick start only), the biggest challenge was hiding all the wiring. Everything’s running through a Kellermann R3 control unit, discreetly hidden under the tank.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
Diamond wanted to give the cockpit a racing slant, so they procured “all kinds of CNC-machined goodness” from specialists ABM. The list included clip-ons, levers, controls, grips and a set of rear-set pegs.

Further upgrades include a modded Suzuki GSX-R master cylinder, with parts from a Yamaha YZR-1 added to the clutch setup. There are Motogadget turn signals on the bars and at the rear, and if you look really closely, you’ll see a tiny Motogadget LED speedo embedded in the cowl.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
The engine wasn’t neglected either. It was rebuilt from the ground up, and the carbs rejetted to work with the K&N filter and audacious Supertrapp muffler. The new header was fabricated in-house.

There’s no doubt that Diamond Atelier has nailed the stance and lines of this DR650—the bike looks single-minded and agile. But it’s the new livery that pushes it over the edge: a monochrome camo scheme—punctuated by bright blue accents—that was mixed and applied by hand.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier
Diamond Atelier might be a young outfit, but they’re quickly carving out their own, neo-retro niche.

If you like what you see, you’re in luck: DA#5 is available for sale.

Diamond Atelier website | Instagram | Facebook page | Images © 2015 Philipp Wulk.

Street Smarts: an urban Suzuki DR650 by Diamond Atelier

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Controls Custom Motorcycles Customs Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs

Racing Inspired Adjustable Levers For V-Twins

Performance Motorcycle Racing (PSR), as evidenced by the company name, specializes since 2001 in products inspired by those that racers love and use. These levers for Harleys – or any V-Twins using 1” bars – easily adjust lever to the individual more comfortable…

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Builders Chassis Custom Motorcycles Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs Videos

Bonneville Vanishing? Not In Brian Darwas’ New Hot Rod Documentary.

It’s no secret that the salt levels at Bonneville are being rapidly depleted through mineral mining in the area. Brian Darwas wanted to show the hard work, dedication, and passion that goes into not only building a car for Speedwell, but the lengths the drivers go to…

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Gear Reviews Motorcycle Maintenance Other Motorcycle Blogs Web Bike World

BMW S1000XR Fairing and Panel Removal Step-by-Step Guide

How to remove the fairing and body panels on the S1000XR for installation of accessories and wiring.

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Moto Where Motorcycle Travel Other Motorcycle Blogs

Friday afternoon

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Tagged with: Scenic, Easy, Rural, Low traffic

Length: 61.29km / 38.31mi

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EICMA 2015 Faster and Faster Mondial Motorcycle News News

FB Mondial to get going again, will make a comeback with Hipster 250, Hipster 125 in 2016


The all-new 2017 Mondial Hipster 250 and Hipster 125 scramblers look pretty good to us, though the name "Hipster" is a bit tacky. FB Mondial also plan to design and build at least three other bikes between 2017 to 2023. Welcome back, Mondial!

Remember FB Mondial? It’s yet another of those once-great Italian motorcycles companies that have disappeared into the mists of time, with occasional, mostly unsuccessful attempts at ‘resurrection’ made by various people over the last few years. Based in Bologna, Italy, FB Mondial (with the ‘FB’ standing for Fratelli Boselli) was set up in the late-1940s by the Boselli family. Their bikes were apparently pretty good because from 1949-1957, FB Mondial won four motorcycle roadracing world championships in the 125cc class and one world championship in the 250cc class. In fact, up until the late-1950s, companies like Honda, Ducati and MV Agusta were using Mondial motorcycles as examples, to learn and improve their own machines.

Mondial’s gradual decline started in the early-1960s, when the company stopped making their own engines, preferring to buy engines from other manufacturers and using those (albeit with Mondial’s own chassis and other components) to build Mondial-branded bikes. Production finally stopped in 1979.

From the late-1990s up until the present time, there have been various attempts at reviving Mondial, with one of the interim owners even building an all-new Mondial superbike – the Mondial Piega 1000 – using the engine from the Honda RC51 (also known as the RVT1000R in the US and VTR1000 in Europe and other markets). In 2005, Mondial Moto S.p.A. was bought over by one Piero Caronni, who also owns the production rights to the twin-stroke Bimota V Due 500. Caronni still, apparently, owns the rights to the Mondial name, having renamed his company as Gruppo Mondial S.r.l. Indeed, after all these years, the Mondial Piega 1000, Mondial Starfighter, and the Bimota V Due 500 are still being offered by Caronni via this website!
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BikeExif Other Motorcycle Blogs Photographers

Watchlist: The Best Motorcycle Photographers

Watchlist: The best motorcycle photographers.
The rise of custom motorcycle culture has been fueled by photographers. The bikes have always been there—from the bob-jobs of the 1930s to the café racers of the 1960s. But over the past ten years, the internet has made it easier for photographers as well as builders to show off their skills.

Love it or hate it, social media is a great leveler. A handful of truly talented photographers have risen to the top, with growing fanbases—and growing demand from brands eager to harness their skills.

In the first of an occasional series, we’re going to showcase the work of the top motorcycle photographers. To kick things off, we’ve got Aaron Brimhall, Jun Song and David Marvier.

Motorcycle photographer Aaron Brimhall
AARON BRIMHALL

Where are you based? I currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah with my wife Sal and my dog Sammy. What bike do you ride? I ride a Harley Sportster, just like everyone else.

Where do you get your inspiration? When I’m thinking about the shoot I want to do next, a lot of it is inspired almost by a Nat Geo type feel, but not with animals. I always try and get a different landscape when planning a shoot.

Motorcycle photographer Aaron Brimhall
How did you get started in motorcycle photography? It started when I moved back to Utah from Guam two years ago. I’d shot nothing but really colorful beach stuff, and I really wanted to do something different. (If you go back on my Instagram, you can see all the intense colorful photos on there.)

So I went back to where I started—when my friends and I would go riding, we would just stop at a random spot and start shooting. It was nothing really out of the ordinary. It was just something to do and I started posting on Instagram, and people caught on!

Motorcycle photographer Aaron Brimhall
What equipment do you use? Canon 5D Mark III and a few lenses.

Your favorite shooting location? Hands down—Indonesia. The best scenery to work with.

If you had one piece of advice for readers who like to shoot bikes, what would it be? For me, everything looks better in motion. Also: try and be really consistent.

Instagram | Facebook

Motorcycle photographer Jun Song (Nostalgia Memoir)
JUN SONG

Where are you based? Salt Lake City, Utah. What bike do you ride? A 2014 Triumph Thruxton and a 1980 Honda CB125.

Where do you get your inspiration? I get inspired through beautiful landscapes and fortunately I’m surrounded by those in Utah. I’m a landscape photographer at heart, so my backdrop is as important, if not more, as the subject itself.

Motorcycle photographer Jun Song (Nostalgia Memoir)
How did you get started in motorcycle photography? I’ve been an avid photographer over the past decade, and when I finally got my bike two years ago, it was natural to photo-document the places I rode to.

What equipment do you use? My workhorse gears are a Canon 5D Mk II and a 7D Mk II, with 35mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f.2.8 lenses. Favorite camera is my Hasselblad 501cm. Also love my GoPro Hero 4 Silver. And last but not least, my iPhone 6, which I use more often than people think I do. It’s amazing what you can get out of this little camera.

Motorcycle photographer Jun Song (Nostalgia Memoir)
Your favorite shooting location? I love to go shoot and ride at Big Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. This canyon is not only minutes from Salt Lake City, but also breathtaking no matter what time of the year you go up there.

If you had one piece of advice for readers who like to shoot bikes, what would it be? Stop putting cheap-shitty filters on your photos. I just don’t understand why people do it.

Website | Instagram

Motorcycle photographer David Marvier
DAVID MARVIER

Where are you based? Bordeaux, South West France. What bike do you ride? A Yamaha YZF1000 Thunderace. Not super beautiful, but lots of power and THE perfect bike for the many long rides I do. It carries my equipment perfectly. I’m changing the fairing this winter for an endurance one, and repainting it as well.

Where do you get your inspiration? I used to work in fashion photography. I take my inspiration from there, and my base of technical knowledge comes from there too. But I also get it from other photographers, from videos, from movies….

Motorcycle photographer David Marvier
How did you get started in motorcycle photography? I worked in fashion for a long time. I learnt a lot, but I needed to find a ‘scene’ more in line with my passions. I needed to get out of the studio, breathe in wild spaces, and shoot authentic and spontaneous subjects.

I started with Wheels & Waves a few years ago. That first photographic session got very promising feedback, so I’ve kept going ever since. Every year is getting more and more exiting, with more and more interesting people to meet and projects to shoot.

What equipment do you use? I use a Canon 1Ds Mark III and several lenses. For software, I work with CaptureOne, Photoshop and Lightroom.

Motorcycle photographer David Marvier
Your favorite shooting location? I love shooting from my bike while I’m riding. But in general I like being outside, riding mountain roads or desert tracks. Indoor locations offer really soft and interesting light: the day runs in a super different atmosphere. The big upside of my job: an office in constant evolution!

If you had one piece of advice for readers who like to shoot bikes, what would it be? Don’t get blocked by technical aspects, and make it simple. The most important things are light, subject, focus, framing and color harmony. (It’s not easy to give advice…)

Website | Instagram

Thanks to Saint for their assistance with this feature. #ridefastridefree